Hawaiian Youth Paddler Award

This year at the Hawaiian State Chamionships for Outrigger a student athelete from each island was chosen for the "State Youth Paddler " award. The young paddlers are chosen because they best embody the spirit of Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe Paddling, they perpetuate all Hawaiian tradition, show a passion for the sport, show humility, exhibit teamwork, and showcase leadership abilities. Each student was awarded a KIALOA custom hybrid paddle, hand-made by Dave Chun. We gave paddles directly to kids from Oahu, Maui, Hawaii (Big Island), Kauai and Lana’i. Moloka’i had not chosen an award so they took theirs home to choose their paddler at a later time. Pictured above is Meg Chun awarding Jaslynne Chang her custom "orange burst" paddle. Jaslynne paddles for Imua One Blade on Oahu.

Jaslynne wrote us a very kind letter and said, "Much mahalos for the beautiful paddle...I'm never going to forget this. You made my whole summer truly amazing and showed me that commitment and dedication really pays off."